Dear diary,

First attempt at ice-cream making was a horror. Fun, no doubt, still...

Baking Enlightenment #1

It didn't take me long before figuring out that when recipe books say "whisk eggs for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy", they meant to use an electric egg-beater. Trust me, after 40mins of manual egg-whisking, you'll look at old-time bakers with a new sense of awe and admiration.

Baking Enlightenment #2

Always check that the chocolate you'll be using is "unsweetened/baking" chocolate, because the sugar they ask you to use is built on this assumption. Unless your idea of sweet is a sugar-rush of 3 days before the onset of massive multiple organ failure.

Baking Enlightenment #3

As much as possible, refrigerate your cream base for 2hrs at least before freezing in the ice-cream maker. For impatient oh-come-on-how-much-difference-does-1hr-make people like me, prepare to relish a chocolate ice-cream that tastes like the milo icicles that your 5 year-old neighbour makes for a class in his nursery.

Baking Enlightenment #4

Fresh, homemade ice-cream will always be softer than the ice blocks you call commercial ice-cream. Never attempt to ferry the ice-cream elsewhere for your friends' consumption without sufficient keeping in your freezer, unless you fancy chocolate cream soup or you happen to live in the Artics. Or both.

I'm now going to attempt a coffee ice-cream with my newfound experience.

Keep your fingers crossed.